Mounting for telescopic sight



Dec. 7, 1965 A. A. AKIN, JR 3, ,0

MOUNTING FOR TELESCOPIC SIGHT Filed March 19, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6 41/6750 4 41%;]?

d zz Dec. 7, 1965 A. A. AKIN, JR 3,222,022

MOUNTING FOR TELESCOPIG SIGHT Filed March 19. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I I l l I I I I I I I I \l l {3' I l l l I I INVENTOR. 44,? A AM/m J2 MOUNTING FOR TELESCOPIC SIGHT Alfred A. Akin, .lr., West Covina, Calif, assignor to David P. Bushnell, Altadena, Calif.

Filed Mar. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 180,437 3 Claims. (Cl. 248205) This invention providesan improved system for mounting telescopic sights on guns.

Prior to this invention, when the owner of a gun wanted to mount a telescopic sight on it, he usually had the job done by a gunsmith who drilled and tapped holes in some portion of the gun to receive screws for mounting the sight. This is especially true when it is desired to mount a telescopic sight on a gun such as a revolver. The procedure is not only expensive, but it is time consuming because the gun must be taken to a gunsmith. Alternatively, the original iron sights are removed, and use is made of the mounting holes for the iron sights to secure the telescopic sight to the gun. This is not desirable because it is time consuming and the removed iron sights may be lost. Even more important, the iron sights, if left on the gun, are helpful in aligning the telescopic sights, resulting in considerable reduction in ammunition required to prove in the sights.

This invention provides a simple clip which can be easily be clamped to a gun without removing the iron sights and without drilling and tapping holes for a bracket on which a telescopic sight is mounted.

Briefly, the clip is generally U-shaped in cross section and has a bottom wall which fits across the lower portion of a gun on which the clip is to be secured. Side walls each join the bottom wall at their respective lower edges and extend upwardly along respective side portions of the gun. A separate respective outwardly extending flange is provided at the upper edge of each side wall to receive a bracket which carries a telescopic sight.

Preferably, the flange extends upwardly and outwardly to form the male portion of a dovetail, which receives a matching female portion of a dovetail formed on the bracket.

When the clip is used on a revolver, the bottom wall of the clip is relatively thin compared to the side walls, and is slightly thicker at its side portions than in the central part. Preferably, the bottom surface of the bottom wall is concave downwardly to provide maximum strength and to accommodate the cylinder of the revolver as the cylinder moves under the strap.

Preferably, the bracket is arranged to squeeze the flanges toward each other when it is mounted on the clip. Stop means are also provided to prevent the bracket from sliding longitudinally along the gun barrel with respect to the clip.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation, partly broken away, showing the use of the telescope mounted on a revolver;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an alternate clip used to mount a telescope on a rifle barrel.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a revolver 10 includes a conventional frame 11, barrel 12, and strap 13 over an open space 14 in the frame in which a rotatable cylinder 15 is mounted.

A generally U-shaped (as viewed in FIG. 2) and upwardly opening elongated clip 16 makes a close fit around the strap 13 of the revolver. The clip includes a bottom wall 18 which has a flat top surface that makes a close fit against the bottom of the strap. The bottom surface of the bottom wall may be concave downwardly so the bottom wall is thicker at its edges than in the central nited States Patent 3,222,022 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 portion. This provides greater strength in the clip where it is needed, and also provides clearance for the cylinder to rotate when the gun is fired, and to be moved in and out from under the strap for loading.

A pair of vertical side walls 20 have their respective lower edges formed integrally with opposite edges of the bottom wall 18. Each side wall makes a snug fit against a respective side of the strap 13, and turns inwardly to its upper edge to provide a respective lip 22 which makes a close fit over each top side portion of the strap. A separate upwardly and outwardly extending flange 24 is formed integrally with the inner edge of each lip 22 to form a male portion of a dovetail connection.

An elongated bracket 26 includes a pair of laterally spaced and downwardly extending legs 28 which are curved inwardly to form a female portion of a dovetail connection that mates with the flanges 24 on the clip. A transverse socket head screw 30 extends through a bore 31 in one of the legs and is screwed into a threaded bore 32 in the other leg so that as the screw 30 is tightened, the two legs are drawn together to squeeze the clip tightly on the strap.

The bracket includes an elongated 'bore 34 in which a telescope 36 is mounted in any suitable fashion, say, as disclosed and claimed in co-pending application, Serial No. 125,796, filed July 21, 1961, and assigned to the same assignee.

The upper edge of a transverse stop plate 38 is in a transverse slot 40 formed across the bottom of the bracket at its rear end. The lower edge of the plate rests on the top of the strap and extends across the rear end of the clip to prevent the bracket from sliding forward on the dovetail connections when the pistol is fired with heavy magnum loads.

The clip and telescope bracket are quickly and easily installed by simply swinging the cylinder out from under the strap. The side walls of the clip are then spread apart, the bottom wall 18 being sufliciently thin and of strong spring steel to permit the side walls to spread far enough apart so the clip can be slipped up into the position on the strap as shown in FIG. 2. As soon as the lips 22 pass up over the upper edge of the strap, the clip snaps into the position shown in FIG. 2. Screw 30 on the bracket 26 is loosened suificiently to permit the legs 28 to be fitted on the opposite sides of flanges 24. With the stop plate 38 to the rear of the clip, the bracket is slid until the stop plate 38 engages the rear end of the clip. Screw 30 is then tightened so that the legs squeeze the flanges inwardly and force the clip to clamp tightly around the strap. The gun is then ready for use with the telescopic sight. Moreover, the sight can be quickly removed by reversing the foregoing procedure, and the gun is restored to its original condition without leaving any drilled and tapped holes and with the open sight ready for immediate use.

FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the clip for mounting a telescope (not shown) on the barrel 41 of a gun such as a rifle. The clip 42 is generally circular in cross section, but is open at its upper end to have a U- shaped configuration. A bottom wall 43 is practically a continuation of side walls 44.- The bottom surface of the bottom wall is recessed 45 to be concave downwardly so that the clip can easily be sprung apart if necessary, such as with guns where the front sight is so large that the clip must be forced over an intermediate portion of the barrel. The upper edges of the clip include integrally formed flanges 46 which extend upwardly and outwardly to form the male portion of a dovetail connection. A gun sight bracket (not shown) is mounted on the flanges exactly as described in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. In combination, a clip for securing a telescopic sight to a gun, the clip being generally U-shaped in cross section, the clip having a bottom wall adapted to fit across the lower portion of a gun and side walls each joining the bottom wall at their respective lower edges and adapted to extend up along side portions of the gun, and a separate respective outwardly extending flange at the upper edge of each side wall, and a bracket for the telescopic sight, a pair of downwardly extending legs on the bracket to fit on the the outside of the flanges, and adjustable means for drawing the legs toward each other so they clamp the flanges and clip firmly to the gun.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 which includes stop means for engaging the bracket and clip to prevent the bracket from sliding longitudinally along the gun with respect to the clip when the gun is fired.

3. In combination, a clip for securing a telescopic sight to the strap portion of the frame of a revolver, the clip being generally rectangular in cross section to match the rectangular cross section of the strap, the clip having a bottom wall with a flat top surface adapted to fit against the flat bottom of the strap, the bottom surface of the bottom wall being concave downwardly toward the cylinder of the revolver, the clip also having side walls each joining the bottom wall at their respective lower edges and adapted to extend up along side portions of the strap,

a separate respective outwardly extending flange at the upper edge of each side wall to receive a bracket for the telescopic sight, and a bracket for the telescopic sight, a pair of downwardly extending legs on the bracket to fit the outside of the flanges, and adjustable means for drawing the legs together so they clamp the flanges and the clip firmly to the gun.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,241,922 10/1917 Chappell 248-229 1,330,355 2/1920 Spery 248230 2,151,768 3/1939 Humeston 33-50 2,253,648 8/1941 Prentice 248224 2,263,554 11/1941 Brach. 2,464,134 3/1949 Hugg. 2,595,562 5/1952 Becker 248300 X 2,769,895 11/ 1956 Boord 248-229 X 2,795,834 6/1957 Szoke 248316.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 120,523 10/ 1945 Australia. 218,691 12/1961 Austria.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

J. C. MUNRO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CLIP FOR SECURING A TELESCOPIC SIGHT TO A GUN, THE CLIP BEING GENERALLY U-SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION, THE CLIP HAVING A BOTTOM WALL ADAPTED TO FIT CROSS THE LOWER PORTION OF A GUN AND SIDE WALL EACH JOINING THE BOTTOM WALL AT THEIR RESPECTIVE LOWER EDGES AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND UP ALONG SIDE PORTIONS OF THE GUN, AND A SEPARATE RESPECTIVE OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE AT THE UPPER EDGE OF EACH SIDE WALL, AND A BRACKET FOR THE TELESCOPIC SIGHT, A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING LEGS ON THE BRACKET OF FIT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE FLANGES, AND ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR DRAWING THE LEGS TOWARD EACH OTHER SO THEY CLAMP THE FLANGES AND CLIP FIRMLY TO THE GUN. 